Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-29
UNDER A HEDGE.
why the Real Gypsies Cannot
Bear Living I'm Houses.

If the race of gvpsies is not celebrat-
ed for cleanliness, it. can certainly
claim the healthful advantages to be
gained from life in the open air. The
author OF "Our Gypsies" dwells upon
their repugnance to the very idea OF
living in house. One man. belong
ing to a wandering tribe, was heard to
say. with strong emphasis, and with
great sincerity: THANK God
that am not compelled to live
in the filth and foul air of townsW
A Young girl belonging to a gypsy
train was only celebrating the same
feeling when she declared: 81 should
pine away and die indoors, just as a
lark would if you put it in a cage. l
was born in a tent, l have lived in a
tent, and l hope to die in tent. No
one who has drop OF real Ronany
blood in him ever yet willingly took
to the life of q house-dweller."
Meeting in London an old umbrella
mender who looked as il he might be-
long to this race of wanderers, our
author accosted him:
.Am right in supposing you to be
gypsy"
he replied.
II was born under hedge and
very nearly the whole of my life time
I've slept under one, excepting now
and then, and especially the last six
weeks, during which I've slept in
house."
ssI am glad to hear of it because I
thiAk the change you have made in
your sleeping place is step in the
right direction"
"You may think so," said the man,
rather superciliously, "but we differ
in our opinions on that point. l like
the hedge great deal better than l
like the house, aye, that l dc, how
ever"
"What are your reasons for what
seems to me a strange preference
II have two can give you for that, !"
he said very emphatically. "Now,
sir, listen to me. You see, sir, when
you sleep in house you don't always
know who you sleep after, and that is
what don't like at all; but if you
sleep under hedge you do know it's
clean, and there's no danger of being
teased out OF your life by the company
of bedfellows which are much too
lively to be agreeable"
Another Gypsy authority quotes a
discussion ON the same subject by two
old women of wandering tribe. Both
were sun-bronzed, and both wore cor
III earrings, and their sunbonnets were
backside in front. One was seated in
a barrow, and the other was squatted
on a wist of haybands by the side of
n recumbent donkey, whose four legs
iedged her in. She had utilized the
tanks of the. .docile creature to serve as
y dinner table. Bread and butter were
spread on it, and about n quarter
Of peck of turnip radishes. There
was bald. shiny patch on the dom
keys hip, set round with hair, and
this was made to contain salt. Every
time his mistress dipped a radish into
this extemporized salt-cellar and pro-
ceeded to ''scrunch'' it, there was an
expression in the animals half-closed
eyes that betrayed his consciousness
OF her enjoyment and the satisfaction
it afforded him.
"And how's old Cooper a-doin' since
he gave up the wan, and took to the
house?'' asked the woman in the
wheelbarrow.
"He's growin' wus and wus," re-
piled her friend, with grim serve.
him-right expression in her beady
eyes. He was right enough or
wheels. Why didn't he stay on 'em p
"Ah, to be sure! know what
should expect would shortly happer
to me, if once l trusted myself be
tween lath and plaster"
"But it ant the laths and it ant the
bricks, my dear" rejoined her friend
"It's summit in the mortar which
works its way into your cistern, anc
that's what'll bunnick old Cooper up
you mark my words"
So, though the word System" ii
not always considered as interchange
able with cistern" it is evident tha
the gypsy had an original theory o
disease. Il Youths Companion.